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FCupdate - Your weekly round-up of world football news

Welcome to the latest edition of FCupdate, our regular round-up of news and views from around the football world that should appeal to fans of a supporter-owned club like FC United.

FCupdate gives you a weekly fan-owned football hit every Monday. We hope you enjoy the latest edition and do let us know if you see anything that we should be including in future issues.

Darlington under threat as owners consider walking away
The future of Darlington FC looks to be in the balance as a disagreement between the club’s chairman and its creditors remained unresolved. Chairman Raj Singh told The Northern Echo that he was prepared to quit the club over the calling in of a £2m debt. Quakers’ fans meanwhile fear the repetition of a sad story as the club they love hangs in the balance as owners and creditors argue about money. Read more from the Northern Echo and you can find out what the Darlington Supporters Trust is up to.

Fans fleeced as cost of Champions League Final tickets hits all time high
Uefa has been accused of ripping off fans as it emerged that tickets for this season’s Champions League final at Wembley on 28 May would be the most expensive in history, with the cheapest ticket costing £176. Fans groups have condemned the prices as “absolutely outrageous???. Read more at The Guardian and The FSF website.

Another chaotic week at Wrexham
In a normal week getting thrashed 7-2 at home would be bad enough but Wrexham FC have more to worry about than poor defending. The week ended with further financial uncertainty and rumours that the former chairman of Chester City might be involved in a takeover of the club, a very worrying development if true. Read more at twoundredpercent and the fans’ response at the Wrexham Supporters’ Trust website.

Supporter-owned clubs in the video spotlight
Also worth a look on the twohundredpercent website is its weekly feature “Non-League Videos of the Week???. The most recent one was a supporter-owned club special and features highlights from a range of games in England and Scotland. Check them out at twohundredpercent .

One of the more interesting grounds we’ll visit this season
Next Saturday sees FC United visit Sheffield for our game against Stocksbridge Park Steels. The Steelers’ ground, The Look Local Stadium at Bracken Moor, is one of the more interesting grounds we’ll visit this season. Described as “undeniably one of the best venues of its kind??? by the website, Pyramid Passion.

Nothing small-time about Crawley
Manchester United’s win over Crawley Town at the weekend was hardly convincing but many non-league watchers will be pleased that the east Sussex side didn’t spring an upset. That’s of course due to Crawley’s big money backers and the dubious record of their manager Steve Evans. Journalist Jim White penned the following piece for Yahoo Sport that’s worth a look – Jim White at Yahoo Sport .

This supporters’ trust thing is catching on – Barnet fans next in line
Barnet fans are the latest in a long line of supporters who are looking to have a greater say in the running of their club. A group of them are currently in the process of setting up a supporters’ trust and at a lively public meeting last week there was unanimous support for the setting up of the Bees Trust. Read more on their website at www.beestrust.co.uk .

A Fine Lung – a breath of fresh air
The latest issue of radical Manchester fanzine, A Fine Lung, is now out and sellers were doing a roaring trade outside Gigg Lane before the Burscough game. Issue six has some brilliant articles in it. While it would be unfair to single any out in particular, Rob Allen’s “The Simon Cowell Theory??? is worth the £2 cover price on its own! You can buy A Fine Lung at FC’s games, various venues in Manchester and you can also subscribe from the website at www.afinelung.com.

Watching Football Is Not A Crime! – free FSF event
Watching Football Is Not A Crime! is a free Football Supporters’ Federation event, hosted by The Guardian’s award-winning writer David Conn. The event, which takes place in Sheffield on 3 March 2011, gives football fans their chance to put questions to a panel of experts including leading journalists, police and Home Office figures. The event will address a series of issues including: Are football fans discriminated against? Unnecessary early kick offs thrust on fans by the police; the right to stand at the game; and the use of Section 27 and Football Banning Orders. For further details and to register your place at this free event see the FSF website.



First Posted ~ 15:42 Mon 21 Feb 2011
News ID ~ 3434
Last Updated ~ 01:52 Tue 16 Feb 2021